Sarah Silverman has joined the cast of Battle Of The Sexes, the Fox Searchlight pic about the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Emma Stone and Steve Carell are set as the leads.
Silverman, who attracted awards-season buzz (she landed a SAG Award nom) with her breakout role in the depression drama I Smile Back, is set to play Gladys Heldman. She was the founder of World Tennis magazine; she supported Billie Jean King and other female players who formed the Virginia Slims Tour in the early 1970s that was the precursor of today’s WTA Tour. She is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Andrea Riseborough, Elizabeth Shue and Austin Stowall are also aboard the pic. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris are directing from a script by Simon Beaufoy. Danny Boyle is producing through his Decibel Films, and Christian Colson through his Cloud Eight banner.
Silverman, who is next up co-starring in Universal’s Lonely Island spoof PopStar, is repped by UTA, Thruline Entertainment and Ziffren Brittanham.
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